Mérida Yucatan December 13, 2021. – As a reward for the effort each senior citizen has contributed over the years to building present-day Mérida, the Mayor, Renan Barrera Concha, inaugurated this morning the facilities of the Integrated Center for the Fullness and Harmony of Seniors.

He stated that this type of solidarity action is the result of the effective management of the resources of all citizens, allowing the implementation of comprehensive care programs such as this work that will benefit more than 500 elderly people living in 30 neighborhoods and subdivisions of the state. East of the city, with health prevention services such as therapeutic gym, physical revitalization, comprehensive assessment, occupational therapy, memory and motivation workshop, postural hygiene and nutritional care as well as recreational, sports, artistic and social activities.

Barrera Concha, accompanied by his wife, Diana Castillo Laviada, DIF Municipal President, said the delivery of this property reinforces the municipality’s commitment to join the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Older-Friendly Cities and Communities Network, as Mérida has been emphasized as the standard for disease prevention among this category of population.

“The World Health Organization brings together cities that have public policies carefully designed to meet the larger community challenges of our city and today we belong to that network of 700 cities that contribute to providing more and better opportunities for our seniors,” he points out.

The mayor noted that in addition to working on public services such as urban cleaning, lighting, sanitation and roads, the city council also works and takes care of those who built the Mérida in which we live.

“The City Council has worked alongside such an important sector of our community as our grandparents and grandmothers, an example being the delivery of a store record to more than 2,000 members of Municipal DIF, 30 seniors’ clubs in the colonies and divisions in police departments and our aged care centers and the comprehensive center to complete the “The Renovator” and the Elderly Care Center,” he said.

It identified that the category of elderly in Yucatan increased by 47.1% in the decade 2010-2020 and of the total elderly, 52.8% were women (152,548) and 47.2% were men (136,487).

“This latest census confirms that the elderly are the fastest growing group. According to expert calculations, it will do so at a rate greater than 4% annually between now and 2030.”

In turn, DIF Municipal President Diana Castillo said this new space will focus on disease prevention, healthcare and improving the quality of life for seniors.

He continued, “This new center will contain preventive physiotherapy services, nutritional and geriatric care, recreational, cultural and social activities such as crafts, yoga, mental gymnastics, board games, assessment and nutrition.”

But most importantly, they will be “embraced” with the professionalism, dedication and love of our employees who are always attentive to the needs and dreams of our beneficiaries.

On behalf of the beneficiaries, Ms. Maria Theresa León Contreras, Member of the Seniors Club “Pacabtún” and Representative of the Social Comptroller’s Office, thanked Mayor Renan Barrera and the City Council for building more spaces of quality and warmth for the larger people.

“This beautiful place will contribute to our age fully and actively, thanks to the various physical, social, cognitive and social engagement activities that we will enjoy and benefit from every day,” he said.

“All of us, the elderly, are pleased to know that they have taken care to open up a space in which we can live together as if we were at home, a place full of harmony, education, learning, coexistence and above all, a welcoming place full of experiences.”

The building, whose work starts from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. today, has an area of ​​2,165.55 square meters, and consists of a reception desk, an administrative office, a preventive physiotherapy room, specialty rooms, a ballroom with a cane, a common area and an outside balcony. Bathrooms, cellar and parking.

It also has a yard, green spaces, communication yard, outdoor garden area, car park, entrance hall, physiotherapy room, ballroom, functional therapy rooms, materials storage, and an inner courtyard for rest.

The total investment amounts to 13 million 449 thousand 354.52 from the resources of the Municipal Social Infrastructure Fund.

The opening was also attended by council members Carini Valle Ricaldi, Paulina Beniche Rodriguez, Gabriela Baquero Valencia, Ricardo Asensio Maldonado, Maria Fernanda Vivas Sierra and Elisa Zuniga Arellano. Silvia Sarti Gonzalez, DIF Municipal Director; Juan Manuel Diaz Roche, President of Fundación del Empresariado Yucateco AC (FEYAC) and Maria del Pilar Vásquez Molina, member of the Seniors Club “Sara Mena” and member of the Citizen Participation Committee of the Municipal Fund for Social Infrastructure.